Filter
Top Products
User Guide - 3
English
3) Screw the M-Audio shock mount onto a sturdy
mic stand and then place the Sputnik mic into
the shock mount. The threaded mounting ring at
the bottom of the shock mount screws into the
bottom of the Sputnik microphone, securing it in
place. We recommend that you always use the
shock mount with the Sputnik mic as it provides
a safe and stable structure and it greatly reduces
vibrations coupling to the mic stand from the
floor.
4) Plug the female end of the 7-pin cable into the
bottom of the mic. To help align the pins, make
sure the clip on the female plug faces the same
direction as the front of the mic. (The front of
the mic is the side with “Sputnik” engraved.)
5) Connect a balanced XLR microphone cable
between the power supply and your mic preamp.
We recommend you use the highest quality
cable possible. Generally speaking, the shorter
the cable, the better. (Remember: because the
Sputnik power supply unit provides the voltages
needed to power the Sputnik mic, you shouldn’t
use the +48V phantom power function on your
preamp.)
6) Connect the grounded AC power cable from
the power supply mains feed to the wall power
socket.
7) Turn your mic preamp gain level all the way
down. You’ll gradually turn the level up once the
Sputnik is up and running.
8) Now you can turn on the power switch on the
power supply. It takes about 15 seconds for the
red power LED to illuminate fully and ideally
you should wait a few minutes for the Sputnik
to “warm up” and for the operating voltages
to stabilize before you begin recording. (We
designed the slow “warm up” circuit in this way
in order to extend the life of the vacuum tube.)
9) Select the polar pattern and attenuation level
appropriate to your recording setup by using the
switches on the body of the Sputnik mic.
10) Now you can adjust your mic preamp gain level,
phase, etc. as appropriate.
11) When shutting down the mic, you should always
turn off the power supply first and wait for the
red LED to go out completely before removing
the cables.
Recommendations
1) Preamplifiers:
for best results, use the best mic preamp you can.
This may seem like an obvious statement, but all
too often we find artists skimping on their mic
preamp after they’ve invested in a top-quality
microphone. Indeed, although the Sputnik mic
itself outputs a clean, true representation of the
captured sound, you’ll lose some of the benefits if
your preamp colors the sound in any way. There
are many good preamps on the market, but we
can recommend some that work great with
any mic: M-Audio’s Tampa, Octane, and DMP3.
These are all very “neutral” sounding devices that
amplify your mic signal without changing timbre
or dynamics, and they won’t adversely affect the
depth and energy of your audio signal. (In case
you missed it before: don’t engage the +48V
phantom power function on your preamp when
using the Sputnik mic; the Sputnik power supply
handles that function itself.)
2) Pop filter:
we recommend you always use a “pop
filter” when recording vocals. It’s a sonically
transparent mesh or metal grill placed between
the mic and the singer that filters out “plosive”
sounds (consonants like “p,” “t,” and “b”) that can
cause transient distortion in the capsule from
short bursts of energy exciting the diaphragm.
The pop filter will also help keep moisture away
from the capsule when the singer breathes out
into the mic. (Accumulations of moisture can be
detrimental to the life of the capsule.)
3) Storage:
we recommend you store the mic and power
supply in the flight case when you’re not using
them. Alternatively, if you want to keep the
Sputnik mounted on a stand within its shock
mount when you’re not using it, please make sure
you cover it using the soft cloth bag included
in the flight case. This will help keep dust and
other particulate matter from contaminating the
capsule over time, extending the Sputnik’s life.
4) Temperature, humidity, and other
environmental conditions:
while the Sputnik may work in outer space,
it’s been optimized for terrestrial use. If at all
possible, keep the Sputnik mic and power supply
in a stable (cool and dry) environment, and never
let them get wet. In other words, avoid using
the Sputnik outdoors, and don’t drop it in a
swimming pool.